Monthly Archives: August 2015

Making of ‘dhartiputra’ Mulayam to be documented in a feature film

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

Lucknow :

The struggle of ‘dhartiputra’ Mulayam Singh Yadav – from a schoolteacher to the chief minister of India’s biggest state – is all set to be documented on the celluloid. The full-length biopic, ‘Netaji – Mulayam Singh Yadav, directed by Vivek Dixit, would trace the Samajwadi Party supremo’s journey from the Etawah countryside in 60s to 5, Kalidas Marg in Lucknow in 1989 when he became the chief minister for the first time.

Mulayam’s younger brother and senior minister Shivpal Yadav will launch the film at a mahurat ceremony in Lucknow on Wednesday. Sources closely associated with the film production told TOI that ‘Massey Saheb’ fame thespian Ragubir Yadav has been approached to play the title role.

“Veteran actor Raghbir Yadav is being considered to play the lead role in the film,” says Ashok Yadav, a minister in Akhilesh cabinet who is also the chief of SP’s Etawah unit, the home turf of the SP’s first family. “We are also in talks with Amitabh Bachchan. Who will introduce the film,” he said.

Dixit, who has earlier produced and wrote ‘Sancha’ (Mould) starring Anupam Kher, told TOI : “The film ends with Mulayam’s first address after becoming the chief minister where he says Lohia ka sapna poora ho gaya .. aaj ek kisan ka beta mukhya mantri ban gaya (Lohia dream has come true. A farmer’s son has become a chief minister).”

Asked about Raghubir Yadav’s casting, he said: “Raghubir Yadav is fit to play Mulayam of today. However, playing his younger self will be difficult for him.” A final call would be taken in lead actors after after a final “look” test in make-up before the camera, he said, adding “The film will also have celebrated make-up artist and national award winner Vikram Gaikwad of ‘Mary Kom’ fame.”

On his inspiration behind making the film on Mulayam, Dixit said: “It was the thought that today parents want their children to become doctors, engineers and scientists but not political leaders. It was this urge to change the perspective that gave me the idea of making a film on a political leader.”

The invite sent for the mahurat ceremony mentions Shilpa Motion Works and Godfather Films as the two production houses handling the project which has a tentative budget of Rs 30 crore. The film is slated to be shot in most of the original locations in and around Etawah. “We have a research team working on the project for the past one year. We have visited the original locations and plan to retain them in the 2 hour 10 minute long film,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Pervez Iqbal Siddique, TNN / August 12th, 2015

At Aligarh village, shrine to British soldiers killed in 1857

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Shairpur (Aligarh):

In a strange twist of fate, nine British soldiers who died fighting rebels in the 1857 freedom struggle near this village are now worshipped by the descendants of the villagers. The locals, who believe the souls of the nine soldiers protect them from evil spirits, have turned the memorial plaque into a shrine with lit candles, incense sticks and red sacred thread.

Nearly 121 km from Agra, in the Gangiri block of Aligarh district on its border with Kasganj, the memorial plaque at Shairpur village commemorates British cavalrymen from two highly decorated regiments — the 6th Dragoon Guards, also known as the Carabiniers, and the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers, who for their participation in the events of 1857 came to be called the Delhi Spearmen.

Engraved on the plaque are their names — Captain George Wardlaw, Lieutenant John Hudson, Lieutenant Sydney Vyse, Privates Joseph Barrett, Robert Chapman, Walter Cossar and Allen Eastwood of the Carabiniers, and Privates John Dyson and Henry Frampton of the Delhi Spearmen.

Surrounded by rice fields, tall shrubs and several trees including a peepal, the ramshackle memorial silently narrates the story of a bloody battle fought here on December 14, 1857.

The structure for the nine soldiers, known locally as ‘Kalajar’ since the war was fought near the Kaali river, has shrunk to its current size of 20 sq ft after villagers took up the surrounding land for cultivation.

However, what remains is of occult significance for locals. “On every holy occasion, local villagers, particularly women, worship this stone plaque. They tie sacraments at the peepal tree behind it, light earthen lamps and incense sticks and offer flowers to the dead soldiers’ souls,” said Jai Vir Singh, headmaster of the primary school at the village, just 30m from the grave. “It is certainly ironic that the descendants of the rebels who fought and killed these men offer them prayers today,” Singh added.

Others assign specific powers to the dead men. “We offer prayers here as we believe the souls of these men protect our village from evil spirits. Every year, the families of these soldiers also visit our village from Britain to pay homage to their ancestors who were buried here,” said Pushpender, a local villager.

BD Rana, son of the former local MLA Netram Singh, believes that the place is of historical importance and the government should take steps to conserve it. “During the Raj, this entire area was part of the Gungeree cantonment. Some five kilometres away, there is another tombstone protected by the ASI, but not much information is available on it,” Rana said.

Experts, however, play down the historical significance of the site. “As the tombstone indicates, there must be a graveyard of British soldiers in the area, but that doesn’t mean it is of historical significance. Scores of Britishers were killed by Indians and their bodies were buried at several places during the events of 1857,” remarked MK Pundhir, medieval archaeologist from the Centre of Advance Studies in History, Aligarh Muslim University.

“Worship of the tomb is a mere superstition. Since there is a peepal tree behind it, villagers over the years must have started worshipping the tombstone as well,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Arvind Chawhan, TNN / August 09th, 2015

French Artist to work with UP Artisans

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, World Opinion

A French entrepreneur who runs a fashion store has shown his inclination to work with the artisans based in Uttar Pradesh and make zardozi the talking point in the global fashion industry.

Maximiliano Modesti , who runs an export fashion centre in Mumbai, held a meeting with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, and showed his inclination to work with zardozi artisans of Uttar Pradesh.

A Government official said in a statement issued here on Thursday that Modesti has told Yadav that he wanted to work with zardozi and other artisans and export their work to the international market. “The French entrepreneur made it clear that he wants to make Uttar Pradesh as his work centre,” the spokesman said.

A graduate of IFM (Institut Francais de la Mode), finishing an MBA in Paris, Modesti runs an office in Mumbai. He works with clients like Hermès, Isabel Marant and Bibhu Mohapatra. All of the Hermès embroidery is done in Bombay and leather accessories and garments in Delhi. Now he wants to open embroidery centre in form of zardozi in UP.

Modesti told CM that he already works with a group of 50 artisans in UP as a pilot project. “After the success of this pilot project we want to increase this number to over 1000. We want that the products they make can be sold in the international market. This will not only give these artisans money but also bring UP’s zardozi and other art work to limelight,” he said.

The French entrepreneur had all praises for the skill development schemes launched by the UP Government, He said that such initiatives will help the artisans to hone their skills and if the government can provide them a market this skill will further flourish.

Yadav, on his part assured Modesti of all help. He said that UP being the most populous state of country it is full of opportunity. “The Samajwadi Party Government is trying to improve infrastructure facilities in the state with the result many top industrial houses are now willing to invest I UP,” he said.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / Pioneer News Service, Lucknow / Friday – August 07th, 2015)

CM Office directs to craft plaque

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

With an aim to add sheen to its Heritage zone scheme the Uttar Pradesh Government is all set to put up plaques on the buildings of Lucknow where once historical personalities lived in bygone era.

The Chief Minister’s office has asked the Tourism Department to prepare a plaque that could match the flavour and history of Awadh and identify the houses once inhabited by historical personality – may be artist literature or even freedom fighter..

“This is a small gesture that will help people to identify the buildings where say once Premchand lived or where Mir Taqi Mir wrote his gazals. People might have passed through these buildings without knowing the historical importance of those structures,” a senior official in CM’s office told The Pioneer here recently.

The idea to have plaque at important buildings has been borrowed from London’s Blue Plaque. This plaues, which are in blue in colour, are put up on the buildings where famous people had lived and worked. It celebrates the architecture of London’s streets and the diversity and achievements of its past residents. London’s blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, is believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world.

The official said that the scheme is aimed at to celebrate the link between people and buildings. “The buildings carrying plaques will invoke interest of the people about the person and the building where he lived. This will not only add to the historical importance of the city but also help the Tourism department to give added tinge to its Heritage zone scheme,” the officer said.

The Chief Minister’s office has asked the Tourism Department to prepare a detail proposal including the design of the proposed plaque. It has been asked to rope in historians like Yogesh Pravin to identify the buildings of city where the celebrities of olden era once lived.

There are over 50 litterateurs, artists, freedom fighters and people associated with films were either born or worked in Lucknow. From Mir Taqi Mir to Begum Akhtar, from Prem Chand to Sri Lal Shukla and from Pahari Sanyal to K.P. Saxena all have their share of association with Lucknow. Then there are people like Amrit Nagar, Kaifi Azmi, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Mirza Hadi Ruswa, Josh Malihabadi, Jan Nisar Akhtar and this list is endless. This scheme only aims at identifying the buildings where they lived.

“The buildings tell a lot about the character of the person who lived or worked there. Some of them may be dilapidated but they are rich in history,” he said. “The Plaque will not offer any kind of special protection to buildings, but will raise awareness of their historical significance. This in turn can assist in their preservation,” he said.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / by Biswajeet Banerjee, Lucknow / Saturday – July 25th, 2015

The Engraver of a New Gender Mythology

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

SonalLUCKNOW05aug2015
Her works deftly weave together undertones of feminism with the themes of history and mythology. But Lucknow-based printmaker Sonal Varshneya doesn’t want to be monikered as a rebel. She rather prefers being known as an artist who is striving to uplift an underappreciated art form through the right blend of experimentation and expression.

A series of etchings entitled ‘The Heroine’s Last Dream’, a compilation of her works from different series, were recently exhibited at Apparao Infinity in Chennai.

Even as the elaborate artistry of printmaking involves preparing different printing plates to bring out different colours in a single piece of art, Varshneya in her stint of seven years has been working towards bringing out the desired colours on just one plate.

“My toils are rewarded when people mistake my prints for paintings. The greatest achievement, however, will be the day printing is revered on par with painting and discussed for its concepts rather than its technicalities,” says the 31-year-old.

A student of Lalit Kala Sansthan of Agra University, Varshneya was awarded for her contribution to printmaking at the International Print Biennial at Taiwan in 2012 and recently bagged the South Central Zone Award for her series ‘Photoshoot’. Her works are currently on display at the ongoing International Biennial of Contemporary Printmaking in Canada for which she was selected among 32 artists worldwide.

Amid themes based on history, mythology and Indian traditions, women stand out prominently in Varshneya’s etchings. An apt example would be the prints in her ‘Photoshoot’ series where Varshneya tries breaking social stereotypes by re-drawing the nine deviyans or nine forms of Goddess Durga as women dressed in modern outfits.

“My women are inspired from goddesses as I believe every woman is as powerful and free as a goddess. The ladies in the prints still wield the mythical lotus in their hand, but they are not deviyans, but just ordinary women who are empowered,” she says. One could find recurrent images of tigers and lions in such works, which Varshneya says is her way to symbolise the blend of power and tenderness in a woman.

Women empowerment is the theme of another work where Varshneya draws women as Chhau dancers, even though Chhau, the Indian martial dance, is traditionally performed by male dancers. “These images are manifestations of my suppressed feelings. Being born and brought up in a society which boasts of a rich cultural heritage, yet discriminates on basis of caste, creed and sex, I have fought these notions all my life,” she says.

Her backgrounds on the other hand are embellished with extensive drawings of the famous Chikankari work of Lucknow, an ode to the city she lives in. In others she throws in images drawn from mythology, a theme that has been fodder for her imagination since her salad days.

During a printmaking residency in Korea in 2013, Varshneya created a series of prints based on the Hindu God Hanuman. She is currently working on a series based on Draupadi from the Mahabharata. Wanting to include photo and digital etchings in her works, Varshneya plans to devote the next few years to perfecting her colours in sync with her concepts.

Though she easily plucks her themes from mundane events and even oral conversations, Varshneya says translating them on paper via the printing plate is a real challenge. “Taking one print is easy but replicating the same design with the same colour combinations in the editions is a challenge. To add to it the whole affair doesn’t come cheap because the papers and colours are expensive and you have just one shot at experimentation.”

But all that effort often goes unappreciated. “The irony is people think our work isn’t singular because the printing plate unlike painting has the additional benefit of reproducing copies of an artwork, something that supposedly doesn’t make it one of its kind. They forget the fact that behind these editions there is a concept, intricate techniques and several rounds of labour that are waiting to be appreciated,” she adds.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Samhati Mohapatra / August 01st, 2015

Kashinath Singh chosen for Bharat Bharti

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Lucknow :

Noted Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh has been chosen for the state’s highest literary award, Bharat Bharti. The award, given by UP Hindi Sansthan, carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. The award list for 2014 was announced on Monday.

Singh (78) has penned many novels and short stories. His most famous novel is ‘Kashi ka Assi’, which captures the vibrant hues of Banaras. The novel has been adopted for the upcoming movie ‘Mohalla Assi’.

The litterateur is known to have candid political opinions and opposed Modi’s arrival in Varanasi for Lok Sabha elections, saying he would use the holy city for Hindutva agenda. Singh had said that such agenda would pose threat to Varanasi’s composite culture.

Besides Singh, 100 other writers have been selected in various categories on the basis of their work which was evaluated and examined by a committee set up by Hindi Sansthaan.

Some prominent awardees include Mridula Garg (Lohia Sahitya), Vinod Kumar Shukla (Hindi Gaurav), Krishna Bihari Mishra (Mahatama Gandhi Sahitya Samman), Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra (Deendayal Upadhaya Sahitya Samman), Ramkrishna Rajput and (Avantibai Sahitya Samman). These awardees will get a cash prize of Rs 4 lakh each.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 04th, 2015

Wall of fame for UP’s brave women at GPO

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Lucknow :

On the 69th Independence Day, Lucknow division of the department of Posts will commemorate contribution of women freedom fighters of Uttar Pradesh through a display of postage stamps. UP’s first philatelic museum at the General Post Office is coming up with a separate Lucknow gallery titled ‘Shaan-e-Awadh Lucknow’, where a wall would be dedicated totally to these brave women.

The centrally air-conditioned gallery exhibiting some rare stamps issued on Lucknow city in different frames will be open for public from August 15 and include postage stamps featuring Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Jhalkaribai, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rani Laxmibai, etc.

“The idea behind this initiative is to not only showcase the rich culture, heritage, cuisine of the state but also to commemorate journey of UP’s women freedom fighters,” said Vivek Kumar Daksh, Director of postal headquarters (UP). “We are also planning to release a coffee book table of the collection on the day of inauguration which will include details of achievements of women who are role models,” he added.

Besides these stamps on women freedom fighters, special covers of Munshi Naval Kishore, Asrar ul Haq Majaz, Kathak maestro Pandit Lacchu Maharaj, stamps of academic institutions like Colvin Taluqdars, Isabella Thoburn College, La Martiniere, KGMC, Loreto Convent, 200 years of Hazratganj, Vidhan Sabha and other historical monuments will also be on display.

The philately museum will display around 140 postage stamps issued on UP, while 22 of these would be exclusively on Lucknow. Each frame will have stamps put up chronologically according to the date of issue.

Along with sorting out the rarest and most valuable stamps, postal department officials are also busy giving the gallery a unique heritage design. Wntrance of the gallery will be a replica of Rumi gate, while ceilings will bear images of rare and oldest stamps of Lucknow using acrylic paints.

“The idea is to show the rich culture and heritage of Lucknow so the gallery would display souvenirs for visitors which would define the historical relevance of postal services in India and its strong connect with Lucknow city,” said R K Prasad, chief post master, Lucknow GPO.

In addition to the collections available with philatelic bureaus across the state, the postal department will also invite Lucknow’s philatelists to donate their collection to the museum.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home News> City> Lucknow / by Uzma Talha, TNN / August 02nd, 2015